Workplaces in 2020: How employers can step-up their game?

Change is the only constant in life and business. With the decade coming to an end, we’re stepping into a new world with the year 2020. Predictions are that 2020 will be a different game altogether for workplaces with different generations working simultaneously in an organization. Elder Generation or Baby Boomers are due for retirement, Gen Xers are eyeing on the leadership roles, millennials are stepping up for senior-level positions and Gen Zers are getting started in this decade. 

Each of these generations has different expectations related to work and workplaces. Recognizing these expectations and shaping up the workplaces, people processes, business processes to ensure that the cross-generational teams thrive and deliver is crucial for any organization’s success. 

The emerging technologies, information flow, how people relate to each other, the speed of change, new businesses, changing market dynamics, changing political landscape are each impacting the work environment. Many new trends are emerging at workplaces leading to a shift in work, workplace, work culture.

As companies are looking at a new decade, here are some trends which may impact businesses and workplaces. Employers need to stay on top of these trends as well as other related trends to ensure that they are able to engage with their people, stay productive and match with the ever-changing environment.

The corporate war is now not only limited to generating big numbers but organizations are now also fighting the talent war. Companies now want to be the most desired employer to be able to attract the best. These talents come from different backgrounds of society, and employers need to respect and appreciate talent irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and their origin. Job seekers respect employers that demonstrate an inclusive culture and respect diversity. Focus on creating an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace demonstrates employers focus on talent and delivery where everyone is valued and is enabled to do their best. In one of the studies on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, conducted by Ziprecruiter, it was observed that the top priority of job seekers is workplace diversity. Over 86% of job seekers mentioned workplace diversity as being an important factor while looking for a job.

While technological changes are still at the forefront of workplace evolution, there will be many cultural shifts thanks to Generation Z joining the workforce. According to a report by BridgeWorks, 61 million people from the next generation will enter the workforce in the next decade. With this change, organizations will witness a multi-generational workforce and each of these generations has a different experience with technology, varying expectations about social norms, and differing goals depending on where they are in their careers. In order to cater to this cross-generational workforce, organizations have to reshape their business models to attract and retain the best. Companies should also reevaluate their level of digital and mobile maturity to adapt to these digitally fluent workers.

The traditional idea of being present in the office from 9-5 is fading away with millennials and Generation Z seeking jobs that offer flexibility in their work hours. Work-life balance has become a critical aspect while starting a job. Most of the parents work, which means somebody has to arrange their work schedule in order to accommodate their personal lives. Multiple research by McKinsey and PwC has found that employees value companies that support work/life balance. Remote work options and flexible schedules are the cure for what ails modern work. Tech-giant Microsoft in 2019 introduced its 4-day work policy in its Tokyo office and it proved to be highly effective in increasing employee productivity.

A report by Kronos found out that the next generation of employees looks for more than job stability, salaries, and benefits. They are driven by a sense of shared purpose to bring their best results to the workplace. Although businesses were mostly focused on employee satisfaction and engagement global workforce trends have now proved that holistic employee experience is more important for organizational success. A number of industry leaders like Google, Facebook, SAP, Tumblr, Intuit, and others build their entire core structure and ethos around the employee experience. State-of-the-art office campuses, flexible hours and resting rooms are only some of the methods these enterprises leverage to keep their employee experience great. Employers should nurture a sense of belongingness, support community-building activities that foster cohesiveness amongst teams and also allows them to stay aligned with the business. Employers have also started focussing on practices and policies to support overall employee wellbeing, physical and mental health, and supporting them plan their financial well being to ensure that they are able to do well on their jobs. While a lot of this may be focused on culture, a significant amount will also be driven by creating strategies that allow employees to do meaningful work.

Technology is constantly changing our lives in fundamental, profound ways and the same applies to businesses. The rise of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of big data as a driver for business decisions is changing the way people used to work a few years ago. If companies want to harness the massive potential of the future workforce, they need to start incorporating the tools and technologies that enable their productivity. Companies are already testing AI-based Voice assistants in the workplace to help automate and simplify routine tasks. We will be seeing a lot more of voice-AI in 2020 with Amazon is rolling out “Alexa for Business” to help employees arrange meetings, book conference rooms, reserve desks, check cafeteria menus and discover other things about their office. Organizations like IBM and a number of startups are rolling out intelligent assistants, or chatbots, to handle the early stages of employee recruitment, answer mundane HR questions or personalize learning experiences. These products have seen good integration at workplaces and are able to automate parts of service delivery, human resources function, other support functions. They have also led to disappearing jobs and reduced headcounts. For example, chat-bot adoption to address customer queries and routing employee queries have reduced headcount from customer support and HR functions at many businesses. Businesses need to ensure that they are able to maintain a fine balance – the adoption of technology to bring-in efficiencies as well as to facilitate the effective transition of impacted manpower to other relevant opportunities. Employees need to be prepared to face the impact of such transitions and possible job losses if they fail to upskill and move on to other possible career tracks.

In order to create a more productive work, environmental organizations will be heavily relying on data analytics in 2020. Data has become an increasingly prominent part of many businesses, with this now extending to almost all areas of a person’s life. Being able to harness the power of the numbers is a really valuable skill today and it will only increase in significance in the years to come. HR teams across companies are now using data analytics to enhance their work. Whether firms perform employee surveys, analyze weaknesses in their hiring process, or use quizzes to identify skills gaps, this trend is a valuable one for organizations across industries. Having valuable information on fingertips can help HR teams reduce employee turnover, find better candidates, and get the right people into the right roles. Businesses are now also warming up to the usage of employee monitoring tools – software, sensors, facial recognition to support productivity, security, and compliance at workplaces. In China, companies are now collecting data on employees’ behavior using “emotional surveillance technology”. This technology collects data on employees’ different moods and emotions determining his performance throughout the day.

In 2019, we saw a lot of debate over this and after multiple studies pointing out to it, companies have finally realized that no employee can work all the time. Countless stories of burnout and emotional breakdown have surfaced proving the harmful effects of the always-on work culture. Many countries and companies have already put in place the “Right to Disconnect” allowing employees to skip their official work after work hours. Preserving human resources is the foremost priority of any organization now. In the coming decade, we’ll be witnessing a lot of companies get rid of this culture.

In 2019, we witnessed a growing trend of employee activism, where employees from different departments of an organization come together and protest against their respective organizations based on their socio-political values. According to a report by Bloomberg (dated: May 29,2019), 38% of millennial employees have spoken up to support or criticize their employer’s actions over issues that affect society. Many examples of employee activism have surfaced over the internet in the last year. Hundreds of employees protested Wayfair for selling furniture for a Texas detention camp for migrant children from Mexico. Then there was a consumer and employee protest of Equinox after majority owner (and billionaire) Stephen Ross, hosted a fundraiser for President Donald Trump. More recently, many top CEOs signed a letter and published it in the New York Times, pressuring the government to pass a bill that requires background checks on all gun purchases. Employers need to be aware of the impact of their decisions on the sentiments of their employees and should be proactive in addressing employee concerns to ensure that work culture is not impacted and employees continue to have faith in the organization.